Bert F. Sels

Bert F. Sels is a Full Professor at KU Leuven (Catholic University Leuven) in the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Molecular and Microbiological Sciences, where he founded and heads the Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering (CSCE). He is also a Visiting Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou and co-founder of the spin-off company Zeopore. Previously, he directed the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis (COK) from 2016-2019 and served as Head of the Division Bio-refinery and Sustainable Chemistry (2015). He obtained his Ph.D. in 2000 from KU Leuven under Professor Pierre Jacobs, specializing in heterogeneous oxidation catalysis.

His research focuses on heterogeneous catalysis for sustainable industrial processes, with expertise spanning:

• Biorefinery and biofactory systems for chemical production
• Design of hierarchically structured zeolites and carbon materials
• Spectroscopic characterization of catalytic active sites
• Methane activation and small molecule kinetics
• Renewable chemistry and biomass valorization

His group has published 350+ papers (h-index 88) and holds 30 patents.

Publications demonstrate strong focus on catalytic biomass conversion, zeolite engineering, and sustainable fuel production, with recent work emphasizing lignin valorization, carbohydrate upgrading, and low-carbon chemical synthesis. Key trends include hierarchical catalyst design and integrated biorefinery processes.

Awards and Honors:

• Green Chemistry Award (2015)
• INEOS Research Award (2019)
• European Academy of Sciences and Arts Membership (2018)
• DSM Chemistry Award (2001)
• TOTAL Research Award (2013)
• UMICORE Research Award (2012)
• First Clean Tech Challenge (2009)

He leads the CSCE research group and co-founded the European Research Institute of Catalysis (ERIC). As former co-chair of the International Zeolite Association's Catalysis Commission and associate editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, he maintains extensive collaborative networks.